Carlos Beltran says he talked with Tribe, but wasn't close to free-agent deal: Indians Insider

View full sizeTom Gannam, Associated PressCardinals outfielder Carlos Beltran received a hero's welcome in the St. Louis dugout after his third-inning homer game the home team a 1-0 lead over the Indians Saturday night.

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Clubhouse confidential: The Indians have gotten a lot of mileage out of lefty relievers Tony Sipp and Rafael Perez over the years. With Perez on the disabled list and Sipp struggling, two new lefties have emerged in Nick Hagadone and Scott Barnes.

Barnes is still a newbie, promoted from Class AAA Columbus on May 30. Hagadone, however, is pitching in more and more critical situations.

“He's earned that,” said manager Manny Acta. “He's gone through the process. You put guys out there in uncomfortable situations and see how they handle themselves. He's gone through all those steps and now I can trust him to come in and throw a strike in any kind of environment.”

Hagadone retired the side order in the ninth inning Friday to preserve a 4-0 win over St. Louis, the defending World Series champs.

“He's not a finished product, but his heartbeat is pretty good along with his stuff,” said Acta.

Stat of the day:Derek Lowe has allowed 89 hits, the second most in the American League, behind the 91 allowed by former Tribe starter Bartolo Colon.

— Paul Hoynes

ST. LOUIS -- There has been debate on how close the Indians came to signing Carlos Beltran over the winter when he was a free agent.

The critics say it was smoke screen, a PR gesture to try and placate fans. Reliable sources say the Indians went hard after Beltran, offering him a two-year, $24 million deal only to have him turn it down and sign with the Cardinals for two years and $26 million.

What does Beltran say?

"We had a conversation," said Beltran before Saturday's game. "We never negotiated any type of deal or years, but, yes, I did talk to them."

Beltran said it never came down picking between the Indians or Cardinals.

"There were more teams [than the Indians and Cardinals] involved," he said. "I just felt that this was team that had the most interest. At the end of the day, it worked out pretty good for me."

Manager Manny Acta and Beltran are friends. Acta was the Mets' third-base coach when Beltran played there.

"We had a conference call with Beltran, his agent and Carlos' wife," said Acta. "You don't get to have that with every player you're interested in. That's why I felt it was close. But at the end of the day, you never really know how close you are."

The general consensus is Beltran chose the Cardinals because they gave him the best chance to win a World Series. They'd won it in 2011 and needed a big bat to replace departed Albert Pujols.

It was the second time in less than a year that the Indians tried to get Beltran. They tried to acquire him through trade with the Mets in July, but the Mets sent him to San Francisco. That deal didn't fly because Beltran wanted to stay in the National League.

"For me to go to a team in the American League after being in the National League all those years, I felt the right thing for me was to stay in the league," said Beltran. "Changing leagues is an adjustment. They wanted me to go there and produce, but at the same time I didn't feel it was the right more for me to make."

Beltran, a switch-hitter, is the power hitter the Indians don't have. He entered Saturday's game hitting .275 (55-for-200) with six doubles, 16 homers and 44 RBI.

Grady II? Second baseman Jason Kipnis was back in the lineup Saturday after fouling a ball off his right knee in the first inning Friday.

"It hit me right on the bottom of the kneecap," said Kipnis. "I didn't sit down for the rest of the game. I kept moving around because I didn't want it to tighten up."

When Kipnis resumed the at-bat, he singled to right. Thursday in Detroit, he was taken out at second base on a slide after completing a double play.

"He's a pretty tough guy and our training staff does a very good job with our players," said Acta. "Kipnis is not going to let everybody know how banged up he is because he loves to play."

When asked if Kipnis could be the infield version of Grady Sizemore, Acta said, "That's a good assessment."

Acta said he'd never tell Kipnis to rein in his game. "Guys like Kipnis who can go all out every day are a breath of fresh air," he said. "You can't control injuries. When guys can play like Grady played and Kipnis plays right now, it's delightful to see for us as manager and for all the fans."

Kipnis entered Saturday leading the Indians in runs, homers, RBI and steals.

Family reunion:Shelley Duncan has a lot of family at Busch Stadium this weekend. Duncan's parents and brother are taking in the series.

Dave Duncan, the former long-time Cardinals pitching coach, is here with his wife, Jeanine. Duncan still works for the Cardinals in an advisory role after stepping down as pitching coach to be with his wife, who is recovering from cancer. Chris Duncan played for the Cardinals from 2005-09 and does sports talk radio in St. Louis.

Finally: Over the last four years the Indians are 82-70 in one-run games. It's the best record in the American League. ... Although news of right-hander Chen-Chang Lee's Tommy John surgery broke Friday, the Tribe prospect actually had the operation on June 1.

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